"The greatest challenge in health care is to deliver better quality care without raising its cost. That’s where we’re focusing our research.”

Research overview

Kaiser Permanente Washington research covers many fields, but much of what we do is health services research. That means we’re studying what really works—and what doesn't—in health care, with a focus on achieving the Triple Aim: better population health, improved patient experience, and lower health care costs.

“Reducing the growth in health care spending requires improving the quality and timeliness of care and decreasing low-value care, which doesn’t improve health and may actually be harmful,” says Robert Penfold, PhD, an associate investigator at Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute (KPWHRI).

It all starts with Kaiser Permanente Washington’s learning health system, where research and practice work side by side to inform and improve each other. Researchers benefit from Kaiser Permanente Washington’s comprehensive capture of rich information about patients’ health, use of health care, and costs. Clinical leaders benefit from rigorous evaluations of novel innovations in care delivery and provider reimbursement.

“Together, we are learning what it takes to quickly translate what works into our health system—and track the long-term effects on outcomes that matter to patients, clinicians, and policymakers,” says David Arterburn, MD, MPH, a senior investigator. Here are just a few examples:

Our research on shared decision making helps people understand all of their treatment options and make the decisions that are right for them. So they get the care they want and no more; the care they need and no less.

Curbing overdiagnosis and overtreatment is important, because getting too much of some types of health care can be as harmful as not getting enough. Kaiser Permanente Washington is on the leading edge of initiatives to avoid harmful overuse of care. And we’re carefully evaluating these innovations, such as Choosing Wisely and value-based insurance design.

We’re studying other care models, including accountable care organizations, a payment and delivery model designed to encourage groups of providers to form coalitions.

The rapidly rising cost of pharmacotherapy is one of the most challenging problems in all of medicine. We’re researching how best to price medications in ways that encourage patient adherence to treatment, improve long-term health outcomes, and lower total costs of care.

The impact of our health services research reaches far beyond the Kaiser Permanente Washington system and helps to shape care and policy throughout our region and beyond. For added diversity and statistical power, KPWHRI joins with partners in the Health Care Systems Research Network and other national and international collaborations.